IOC shuts half of Panipat refinery: Exec

New Delhi: State-run Indian Oil Corp shut a 120,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude unit at its northern India refinery late on Sunday for 45 days to boost capacity 25%, its head of refineries B.N. Bankapur said on Monday.

“As planned, in October we will run the refinery at 15 million tonnes a year (300,000 bpd)," Bankapur told Reuters.

A company source said the firm would shut a 1.7 million tonnes a year hydrocracker and a 2.4 million tonnes a year delayed coker unit at the Panipat refinery for a revamp for 45 days.

The source said the hydrocraker would be shut from Tuesday while the delayed coker unit would be shut a few days later.

During the shutdown, the company will raise the annual capacity of the hydrocracker to 1.9 million tonnes and of the delayed coker unit to 3 million tonnes.

“During the 45 days shutdown capacity of the two secondary units will be raised to match the new capacity of the crude unit," the company source said.